SANAA // Yemen said on Wednesday it had arrested a militant cell that had been planning to kidnap the UAE’s charge d’affaires, after a string of abductions that have targeted Westerners and diplomats in the country.
Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed Al Qaidy said security forces arrested the six members of what it called a terrorist cell a month ago, and found weapons, fake passports and fake Yemeni currency in their possession.
“The gang members confessed that they were going to receive a reward of $1.33 million and a four-wheel drive car if they managed to kidnap the UAE’s charge d’affaires,” Mr Al Qaidy told a news conference.
It was not immediately clear who had promised the ransom but kidnapping is common in Yemen. It is sometimes carried out by militants specifically targeting Westerners but is also used as a tactic by tribesmen to resolve disputes with the government, and by opportunists hoping to sell hostages on to other groups.
Home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, southern separatists and rebels in the north, the US-allied country, which shares a long border with oil-exporting heavyweight Saudi Arabia, is struggling to impose security across its territory.
The army on Tuesday launched a major offensive to root out Al Qaeda militants in two southern strongholds, following air strikes earlier this month that Yemen said targeted the militants and killed some 65 of them in central and southern parts of Yemen.
Mr Al Qaidy said security forces also arrested another three-person cell that had made threats against the Saudi embassy.
A Saudi diplomat taken hostage in the southern port city of Aden in 2012 is still missing.
In the weeks between March 1 and April 23, 148 people were killed by “terrorist acts”, including army and security forces, citizens and social personalities, Mr Al Qaidy said.
Separately, a Yemeni military source said that three Al Qaeda militants were killed and dozens wounded in the offensive taking place in the southern Mahfad region of Abyan province.
The insurgents have posed a major challenge to government efforts, carrying out dozens of bombings, suicide attacks and commando-style raids against military installations, government facilities and foreign nationals, killing hundreds of people since 2012.
* Reuters
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
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Starring: Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan, Jyothika, Janaki Bodiwala
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Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
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Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Company name: Co Chocolat
Started: 2017
Founders: Iman and Luchie Suguitan
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Food
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Investors: Fahad bin Juma, self-funding, family and friends
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Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
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UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
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Series: UAE lead 1-0
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2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
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2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.